New GOP Strategy: Dead Americans be Damned-- Let's Get the Economy Going!

Rachel Maddow began her show on Wednesday with a heart-wrenching clip of the medical director of a Black Hawk County hospital breaking down with emotion while talking to the press about the surge of COVID-19 patients (and ultimately deaths) in her community in Northeastern, Iowa.  What's so special about Black Hawk County?  There's a Tysons meat processing plant there.

As the MSNBC host pointed out, these huge outbreaks of COVID-19 at meat processing plants are not islands of individual failures.  They're outbreaks of a very contagious disease that are thrust upon these small communities, which suddenly overwhelm their first responder and  hospital resources  And what is more ironic is that these meat processing plants tend to be in the states where politically, officials want to "open things up" the fastest-- or never shut down essential businesses in the first place.

While these tragic events unfold in Waterloo and other GOP-controlled states such as South Dakota and Nebraska, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is now ordering businesses to "open up" and  telling workers  that if they are afraid to go to work because of unsafe conditions, well tough-- you have to go anyway.  She has gone the extra step and threatening Iowa employees that they'll lose their unemployment benefits if they refuse to go back to work for their employers, even if they're worried about contracting the coronavirus-- not to mention whether or not daycare is available if those employees have kids (remember-- all the schools are still closed).  GOP Governor Pete Rickets has made the same threat to employees in Nebraska as well. 

This is what is emerging as a new Republican policy or strategy-- now that we have over 60,000 Americans dead.  The New York Times is now reporting that a network of conservative leaders, donors, and organizations has launched a legal onslaught against state and local restrictions intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus.  These conservative groups have become emboldened in recent days by increasing signs of support from a powerful ally:  The Justice Department.  There are explicit signs the DOJ may take their side and work to dismantle local efforts to slow the spread of the disease and reduce the overall number of deaths. 

Trump has also issued his most recent executive order-- which (again) didn't invoke the Defense Production Act (DPA) in order to force the meat plants to open.  What the order actually did was prevent States and localities from implementing any measures to close down individual plants.  The companies themselves are still allowed to shut down individual plants themselves-- thank goodness someone is looking out for their interests.

So this is where we are--the GOP wants to open things up, prevent local governments from protecting their citizens, and go down in history by sending more Americans to their deaths.  Let's put the screws to the doctors and nurses in these small communities.  Let's see how high we can get the body count-- I guess 60,000 is not enough for them.